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Optimism can go too far. Unrealistic starting expectations make it more likely that projects will miss budgets and deadlines. Optimism prevailed among bankers in the run-up to the 2007-09 financial crisis. Then, suddenly, it didn’t.
But it also
pays to be an optimist.
Upbeat types tend to rise up organisational ladders and to found businesses; they even enjoy better health. The standard psychological test for measuring how optimistic or pessimistic people are is a short questionnaire called the Revised Life Orientation Test, which features statements such as “If something can go wrong for me, it will.” Would you follow someone who strongly believes that they are cursed? Pessimism has its place, but it is optimism that makes things happen.
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